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CBS Orders Murder Mystery Drama From Former 'Good Wife' Writer Straight to Series

Courtesy of CBS

'American Gothic' will premiere in summer 2016 and air alongside scripted dramas 'Zoo' and 'BrainDead.'

Hours after canceling Extant, CBS is adding a new original series to its summer lineup.

The network has given a straight-to-series order to American Gothic, a murder-mystery drama from former Good Wife writer Corinne Brinkerhoff, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Set among the world of Boston elites, the series follows a prominent family grappling with the revelation that their recently deceased patriarch might have been a serial killer. The discovery sets off struggles within the clan, including the fear that one of their own might have been his accomplice.

Like Extant, American Gothic hails from Amblin Television and CBS Television Studios, where Brinkerhoff has an overall deal. Brinkerhoff will write and exec produce the series, with Amblin Television's Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank and Full Fathom Five's James Frey also attached as exec producers.

"With American Gothic, Corinne Brinkerhoff has created the perfect CBS summer mystery, filled with suspense, intrigue and an explosive ending that will leave you breathless," said CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller. "It feels like a compelling summer novel that we can deliver to our viewers in 13 one-hour chapters."

American Gothic will join returning drama Zoo, returning reality show Big Brother and new series BrainDead, which hails from Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King, on CBS's summer slate. The pickup also comes one month after CBS decided to end Under the Dome, the network's first big foray into airing original scripted series in the summer.

While CBS notes that discussions are ongoing about a second window streaming deal, the network previously made a three-show pact with Amazon that includes BrainDead and two yet-to-be named shows.

Brinkerhoff, who got her start writing for Boston Legal, was a writer and supervising producer on The Good Wife for several seasons. She's also written for Elementary and most recently served as co-EP on Jane the Virgin.

The news keeps Amblin Television in business with CBS after losing both Dome and Extant. The company, which also said farewell to Falling Skies this year, still has TNT drama Public Morals, Fox's struggling freshman Minority Report and FX's critical darling The Americans. The future of ABC's summer freshman The Whispers has not yet officially been determined, though it's considered highly unlikely to continue.

The American Gothic news also comes at the end of a busy week for Frey, who recently sold three projects to NBC, Syfy and E!

Brinkerhoff is repped by UTA and attorneys Ken Richman and Melissa Fox.